'The 5th Wave' exclusive trailer: Is this the Next Big Thing?

It seems like the majority of high-concept young-adult novels boast some comparison to Harry Potter, Twilight, or The Hunger Games. Judging from the pre-publication buzz for Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave (May 7), this alien invasion page-turner has a chance at joining those series in the pantheon of not just popular but ubiquitous YA franchises. There’s an elaborate online campaign for the novel; more than 5,000 Goodreads users have already marked it as “to read”; and the early reviews have been very positive, drawing comparisons to Starship Troopers, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Stephen King’s The Stand.

The 5th Wave follows Cassie, whose parents are both dead and brother is missing, as extra-terrestrial attackers track down the world’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother — or even saving herself.

We have the cinematic trailer exclusively below, as well as a sample excerpt: